This invention relates to lamphouses and more particularly to an additive tricolor lamphouse for use with a photographic printer for controlling the exposure time of the additive primary colors in the lamphouse and thereby controlling the time of exposure of the light sensitive color print paper.
A photographic printer lamphouse typically includes a housing adapted to be positioned on the printer proximate the optical stage and defining a mixing chamber for directing light to the optical stage and a light generating assembly for delivering light to the mixing chamber for delivery to the optical stage. The light generating assembly typically includes a lamp subassembly and one or more filter subassemblies positioned between the lamp subassembly and the mixing chamber and operative to selectively filter the light emanating from the lamp subassembly prior to its introduction into the mixing chamber for delivery to the optical stage.
Whereas lamphouses of this general character are effective in delivering a properly filtered and properly timed multicolor light source to the optical stage, they are not easily serviceable. Specifically, in the event of a failure of one or more of the components of the lamphouse, the entire lamphouse must be removed from the printer, the lamphouse must be disassembled, the defective component must be repaired, the components must be reassembled, and the lamphouse must be replaced on the printer. Servicing of the lamphouse is therefore expensive and time-consuming and, most importantly, results in considerable downtime for the associated printer.